Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
Comparison of Success Rates in College Level Courses of Students Enrolled in
Developmental Courses in the 2008-2009 Academic Year with Students
Enrolled in Redesigned Developmental Courses in Academic Year 2014-2015
Introduction
This study compares two cohorts of developmental education students. The comparison cohort is from the 20082009 academic year, the last year that the traditional developmental education sequence was the standard for
Colorado community colleges and the year before innovation projects began through the Complete College
America and TAACCCT grant programs. The 2008-2009 cohort was also selected so that, in looking at completion
in a three-year time period, students would not overlap with any of the students in the fall 2013 cohort group, the
first year of implementation of the developmental education redesign.
Table 1 provides a summary of aggregate 1-year rates of success in college courses from the 2008-2009
developmental cohort and the 2014-2015 developmental cohort. Math outcome courses include MAT 103, MAT
107, MAT 108, MAT 112, MAT 120, MAT 121, MAT 135, MAT 155, and MAT 156. The college course chosen for
evaluating the impact of developmental language courses was ENG 121 English Composition.
Table 1. Aggregate 1-Year Pass Rates for DE Course Completers in the College Course: Discipline Comparison.
Pre-redesign
2008-2009
Developmental
Language
(English/Reading/CCR)
Developmental Math
Post-redesign
2014-2015
36%
60%
16%
30%
Registration in Developmental Education Courses
Table 2 and Table 3 compare the unduplicated enrollment counts for the colleges and courses examined in this
report.
Table 2. Academic Year 2008-2009 Headcount
Compared to Developmental Education Registration.
‘08-‘09
Headcount
(all students)
117,245
Students Registered
for Developmental
Education Courses
24,729 (21.1%)
Table 3. Academic Year 2014-2015 Headcount
Compared to Developmental Education Registration.
‘14-’15
Headcount
(all students)
126,963
Students Registered
for Developmental
Education Courses
24,370 (19.2%)
7
Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
Table 4 and Table 5 show course registrations in developmental education courses for the 2008-2009 academic
year and redesigned courses for the 2014-2015 academic years, respectively. Since students may take (or re-take)
more than one developmental course in an academic year, Tables 4 and 5 count registrations at the course level
rather than unique students. Later tables in this report will also show unique student counts at the course level
and in aggregate.
Table 4. Registration in Developmental Education
Courses 2008-2009.
Course
ENG 030
Registration
Count
691
ENG 060
3,073
ENG 090
REA 030
REA 060
REA 090
MAT030
MAT060
MAT090
MAT099
Total
9,764
662
2,545
4,119
7,629
9,027
8,833
636
46,979
Table 5. Registration in Redesigned Developmental
Education Courses 2014-2015.
Course
CCR 091*
CCR 092
CCR093
CCR 094
MAT 025*
MAT 050
MAT 055
MAT 091
MAT 092
MAT 093
Other Math1
Total
Registration
Count
155
5,458
842
5,214
1,666
11,121
9,084
211
12
140
1,960
35,863
* CCR 091 and MAT 025 are intended as
supplemental courses for CCR 092 and MAT 055,
respectively.
Completion Rates for Students in Reading and Writing Courses
Prior to the redesign of developmental education, Colorado community colleges had separate developmental
courses for reading and writing. Students who did not demonstrate college readiness in reading enrolled in one of
three courses in the REA discipline, REA 030, 060, or 090. Students who did not demonstrate college readiness in
writing skills enrolled in one of three courses in the ENG discipline, ENG 030, 060, or 090.
Tables 6 and 7 (next page) report on the outcomes for students who were enrolled in developmental reading and
writing courses in the 2008-2009 academic year, their success in those courses, and their enrollment and success
(defined as receiving a “C” or better) in college-level courses within the academic year following their
developmental course (for example, if a student took ENG 060 in Spring 2009, they were counted if they enrolled
in a college-level course that term, during the summer, or in the subsequent Fall semester). The specific collegelevel courses examined in this report are a composition course (ENG 121) and courses qualifying for Guaranteed
Transfer credit (gtPathways courses).
1
Other math courses offered in 2014-2015 include MAT 045, MAT 060, MAT 090, and MAT 070-087. These courses are not
part of the final redesign sequence and were offered in a limited capacity during the 2014-2015 academic year.
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Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
Table 6. Completion of College-Level English (ENG 121) in One Academic Year for Students Enrolled in
Developmental Reading and Developmental English 2008-2009.
Students enrolled
…successfully
…successfully
Course
in developmental
completed the
completed ENG 121 in
course
course
the following year
ENG 030
664
452 (68%)
22 (5%)
ENG 060
2,947
2,058 (70%)
439 (21%)
ENG 090
9,302
6,225 (67%)
2,923 (47%)
REA 030
642
459 (71%)
56 (12%)
REA 060
2,436
1,737 (71%)
435 (25%)
REA 090
3,987
2,721 (68%)
1,058 (39%)
13,406
9,465 (71%)
3,417 (36%)
All DE Language2
Table 7. Completion of a gtPathways Course in One Academic Year for Students Enrolled in Developmental
Reading and Developmental English 2008-2009.
Course
Students enrolled
in developmental
course
…successfully
completed the
course
…successfully
completed a gtPathways
Course in the following
year
ENG 030
664
452 (68%)
101 (22%)
ENG 060
2,947
2,058 (70%)
840 (41%)
ENG 090
9,302
6,225 (67%)
3,997 (64%)
REA 030
642
459 (71%)
125 (27%)
REA 060
2,436
1,737 (71%)
678 (39%)
REA 090
3,987
2,721 (68%)
1,531 (56%)
13,406
9,465 (71%)
5,051 (53%)
All DE Language3
2
Aggregate counts are not the sum of all counts within a category, but instead reflect the number of unique students taking
courses within that category.
3
Ibid.
9
Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
The redesign replaced the separate courses in reading and writing with integrated reading and writing courses,
College Composition and Reading (CCR). In this model, students can complete their developmental course work in
one course and in one semester. Students have three options:



A five-credit developmental course that integrates reading and writing (CCR 092).
A college-level discipline course plus a three-credit reading and writing co-requisite (CCR 093). Not as
many CCR 093 students enroll in and complete ENG 121 because the developmental course is paired with
a college-level course that the college selects and not ENG 121. Due to the co-requisite nature of the
course with a college-level course, it is considered a supplemental academic instruction course.
A college-level writing course (ENG 121) linked with a three-credit reading and writing co-requisite (CCR
094). Because the developmental course is paired with a college-level course, this is also considered a
supplemental academic instruction course.
Colleges have the option to offer a one-credit lab, CCR 091, for students whose placement scores are lower than
the score needed to enroll in CCR 092. Those students must take CCR 091 concurrently with CCR 092.
Table 8 reports on the students who enrolled in CCR courses in AY2014-2015. In addition to showing the number
and percentage of students who were successful in the CCR developmental course, it shows how many of these
students enrolled in the college writing course (ENG 121) and how many successfully completed the course by the
end of summer 2015. Table 9 (next page) covers a similar time-frame, but reports completion rates for students in
gtPathways courses.
Table 8. Completion of a College-Level English Course (ENG 121) by Summer 2015 for Students Enrolled in
College Composition and Reading (CCR) Courses in 2014-2015.
Students enrolled …successfully …successfully completed
Course
in developmental completed the college composition
ENG 121 by Summer
course
course
2015
CCR 091
(with CCR 092)
CCR 092
(no CCR 091)
CCR 093
152
105 (69%)
32 (30%)
5,029
3,316 (66%)
1,016 (31%)
812
499 (61%)
155 (31%)
CCR 094
5,081
3,529 (69%)
3,273 (93%)
All CCR 4
10,899
7,280 (67%)
4,381 (60%)
4
Ibid.
10
Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
Table 9. Completion of a gtPathways Course by Summer 2015 for Students Enrolled in College Composition and
Reading (CCR) Courses in 2014-2015.
Students enrolled …successfully …successfully completed
Course
in developmental completed the at least one gtPathways
course by Summer 2015
course
course
CCR 091
152
105 (69%)
46 (44%)
CCR 092
5,029
3,316 (66%)
1,420 (43%)
CCR 093
812
499 (61%)
406 (81%)
CCR 094
5,081
3,529 (69%)
3,322 (94%)
All CCR 5
10,899
7,280 (67%)
5,077 (70%)
Completion Rates for Students in Developmental Math Courses
Prior to the redesign, Colorado community colleges had a four course, thirteen credit-hour sequence for
developmental math: MAT 030, 060, 090, and 099.
Table 10 reports on students in 2008-2009 who were enrolled in developmental math and subsequent success in
a college-level math course (MAT 103, 107, 108, 112, 120, 121,123, 135, 155, or 156).
Table 10. Completion of College-Level Math in One Academic Year for Students Enrolled in Developmental
Math 2008-2009.
Course
Students enrolled in
…successfully completed the …successfully completed
developmental course course
college level math course in
the following year
MAT 030
7,161
4,638 (65%)
216 (5%)
MAT 060
8,570
5,848 (68%)
742 (13%)
MAT 090
8,135
4,952 (61%)
1,219 (25%)
MAT 099
636
309 (49%)
167 (54%)
All Math6
19,107
12,343 (65%)
1,954 (16%)
The Math redesign built pathways for students based on the career and educational goals of the students. Many
students—based on their degree plans—need a non-transfer, career math course. Other students benefit from a
college-level transfer course like Math for Liberal Arts or Statistics. The math these students need is different from
the math necessary to succeed in a science, technology, energy, or math (STEM) degree which generally require
algebra and then calculus. Therefore, the developmental preparation courses that these students take should also
be different.
5
6
Ibid.
Ibid.
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Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
To meet this need, the Colorado redesign offers two different developmental courses for math. One option is a
Quantitative Literacy class (MAT 050) designed to develop skills students need to be successful in either a nontransfer career math course or in a transferable but non-STEM math course. The second option is an Algebraic
Literacy course (MAT 055) for students who need College Algebra either because they are pursuing a STEM path
or because their programs of study require College Algebra.
Table 11 tracks the outcomes of the AY2014-2015 students who enrolled in redesigned math courses. Outcomes
include successful completion of the developmental course, enrollment in a college-level math course, and
success in the college-level course through the subsequent semester, summer 2015.
Table 11. Completion of College-Level Math Courses by Summer 2015 for Students Enrolled in Redesigned MAT
Courses in 2014-2015.
Course
Students enrolled in
…successfully completed …successfully completed
the course
college level math course
developmental course
MAT 025
1,593
1,045 (66%)
217 (21%)
MAT 050
10,437
6,686 (64%)
741 (11%)
MAT 055
6,870
5,166 (75%)
1,377 (27%)
MAT 091
210
129 (61%)
101 (78%)
MAT 092
12
11 (92%)
10 (91%)
MAT 093
137
95 (69%)
78 (82%)
1,872
1,216 (65%)
273 (22%)
18,576
8,201 (44%)
2,437 (30%)
Other DE Math
All DE Math 7
One of the observations about the students in math is that they are not progressing from the MAT 050 course
directly into a college-level class. Rather, they seem to be moving into MAT 055 rather than into a college-level
math course for their program of study. While not intended in the redesign, it is not clear if this course taking
pattern is a result of advising or math department intervention and merits additional study.
The developmental education redesign gives the colleges the option of offering one-credit lab courses (MAT 091,
092, and 093) to support college-level math courses. These labs are designed for students whose placement
scores are slightly below the scores needed for the college-level courses. Because these students are also enrolled
in a co-requisite college-level math course, the labs are classified as supplemental academic instruction (SAI). This
SAI in math is an option under the developmental education redesign but is not a required component of
implementation. The non-required element has caused fewer campuses to implement and explains the very low
enrollment numbers.
7
Ibid.
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Attachment: Comparison of Success Rates
Work Session I.C.
Summary



Student FTE in the developmental education redesign has decreased. This is consistent with the
philosophy of the redesign that colleges should place students in college-level courses with support
wherever possible rather than place them in pre-requisite developmental coursework.
Students enrolled in co-requisite or SAI courses in both CCR and in math show much higher success rates
in college-level courses after a year than students who are in standalone developmental education
courses. However, supplemental math instruction is not yet offered at all colleges, leading to a less
representative and a smaller sample. As such, there is not sufficient information to make a judgment yet
with regard to supplemental academic instruction and math.
Developmental education students in CCR appear to have a better chance of being successful in a college
course if they take the developmental course they need concurrently with a college-level course (SAI).
However, as students with higher placement scores are generally placed in corequisite rather than
prerequisite courses, the question of what placement ranges will be optimal for encouraging student
success in SAI remains open.
13